I don't get why CoD is so popular. The single player games are fun, but not worth $60. The last 3 titles (BOPS 1 and 2, MW3) have serious lag issues. MW2 got taken over by cheaters so I can't go back to that.

Seriously. What's most important to you in a multiplayer FPS: 1) your skill; 2) strategy 3) tactics 4) teamwork. If you answered 1-4 then CoD isn't for you because the number 1 factor is lag. If you're on the wrong end of the lag curve (which I seem to always be) then your hosed no matter what.

/ Didn't get BOP2// Forums are full of people biatching about lag, I got Borderlands 2 instead.

I think that he's right, that the hybrid FPS-RPG is going to be where a lot of traction is found to produce some fun games.

Mind you, I don't think that Bioshock: Infinite is going to change that--all the Bioshock games are pretty much on rails, and the "exploring" portion of the show has been simply which area you'll explore first, and how many goodies you'll pick up along the way--nor has Borderlands really changed all that much, save increase the Skinner Box effect of having players looking for loot, constant streams of loot, and comparing new loot to old loot.

FTA: sometimes we design something that's not accesible enough, they can't figure it out, we didn't give them enough information to figure out where to go... but more often than not, it's because Call of Duty compressed their skill gap so much that these guys never needed to get good at a shooter. They never needed to get good at their twitch skills with a mouse.

Players like Elliot [Cannon, Lead Designer] and I, back in the Quake and Unreal days, you know, we had to get good at aiming. These guys don't have to anymore. The skill gap is so compressed that like, "The game makes me feel that I'm awesome." These guys, when I actually watch them play, they're actually very poor FPS players. And I don't think it's because they're incapable of getting good, I think it's because they never had to get good. They get enough kills in Call of Duty to feel like they're awesome, but they never really had to develop their FPS skills beyond that.A very apt statement.Very little in current multiplayer FPS's have to do with skill, but more with prediction and memorization."I know this map like the back of my hand" and "I always put a bullet in that window every time I pass it" are statements I've heard over and over. Teamwork has fallen to the wayside and so has most ideas of patience.

hubiestubert:I think that he's right, that the hybrid FPS-RPG is going to be where a lot of traction is found to produce some fun games.

Mind you, I don't think that Bioshock: Infinite is going to change that--all the Bioshock games are pretty much on rails, and the "exploring" portion of the show has been simply which area you'll explore first, and how many goodies you'll pick up along the way--nor has Borderlands really changed all that much, save increase the Skinner Box effect of having players looking for loot, constant streams of loot, and comparing new loot to old loot.

I like Borderlands but the skinnerbox gets really really old. I feel that they did a pretty decent job with the level trees as it really changes the way you play the game, depending on what trees you use. I hope that there is more of that sliding into modern games, but not so much as it becomes a grind or a WOW kind of leveling system.I honestly cant stand the "LEVEL UP" pop ups, but would rather have it be a randomized blind system of actions.You get better at assault rifles by using them accurately. Spray and pray doesn't get you many points, but high accuracy increases your skill.

It's a hard thing to decide as every game has a feeling and no system is going to fit every game.As no system is ever going to fit every gamer.

I haven't tried any CoD games, though I've certainly seen enough of them advertised. So I'm not exactly sure what the article is talking about. I certainly played the crap out of the original Unreal Tournament though, back in the day. Not playing online much, but downloading a few hundred 3rd party maps kept it very interesting.

I did play the original Deus Ex.. seemed like my old iMac from 2000 was barely able to handle it in some areas. I tried a Deus Ex prequel the other week.. looks great.. but got stuck early on with a room with 3 enemies in it, and couldn't find a way to pick off one at a time.

My son plays CoD a lot. I tried to get into the World at War one, but the whole "hide for a minute to regain health" thing was a bit much for me. That and the way it jumped between stories annoyed me.

But anyway, one thing I've noticed, and I don't know if it's him, the way the game plays, or if I just play FPS differently, but he always runs from place to place, turning and shooting without really looking. when I play games like that I always go slow and try to peak around corners, take careful aim, etc.. I just get the feeling that CoD encourages/rewards the way he plays. maybe, I don't know.

Nezorf:"I know this map like the back of my hand" and "I always put a bullet in that window every time I pass it" are statements I've heard over and over.

Games which require mastery and understanding of specialized information (usually based around individual concepts and mechanics) usually appeal to weaker players because you can get better by simply learning the game, not demonstrating comprehension and mastery. You don't have to develop a certain mentality or create a mental investment within a game to become better. You can simply get better by learning all of the specialized information. This is one of the reasons that the DotA clones (with their dozens upon dozens of champions, items, abilities, and incredibly nuanced map design) are so popular, and I laugh my ass off when they're characterized as some kind of haven for hardcore multiplayer.

While map memorization may be important in games like Quake and Unreal Tournament, those games demand that you understand concepts. And then in order to master those concepts, there's a high enough degree of depth (as built around various action and aiming mechanics) that you have to maintain some degree of commitment and practice to continue being good at those games. Which, predictably, is why they don't appeal to the average moron.

But tying back to the original point of the article, you can also thank "e-Sports" for this nonsense. I have no problem with people playing select, excellent games in an organized and tournament format. But you now have communities (StarCraft II, DotA 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty) who think they're the cream of the farking Earth and that anything which deviates from their select, preconceived notion of their favorite game is "stupid". And since you have people who are getting played to play these games and gaining minor celebrity status for their exploits, and gaining "expert" reputation for playing one video game ten hours a day, people will listen to them. But the problem is, none of the games I listed are the class of anything. StarCraft II is an average RTS. Call of Duty (outside of some exceptions) is mostly putrid shiat. DotA clones are by-and-large RTS for babies. But who are you to tell Random Pro Gamer X that his game sucks? He could totally kick your ass at that game. So not only has there been a standardization of mechanics as they involve console first-person shooters and DotA clones, but these communities have largely embraced that standardization, and will defend it to the death.

log_jammin:My son plays CoD a lot. I tried to get into the World at War one, but the whole "hide for a minute to regain health" thing was a bit much for me. That and the way it jumped between stories annoyed me.

But anyway, one thing I've noticed, and I don't know if it's him, the way the game plays, or if I just play FPS differently, but he always runs from place to place, turning and shooting without really looking. when I play games like that I always go slow and try to peak around corners, take careful aim, etc.. I just get the feeling that CoD encourages/rewards the way he plays. maybe, I don't know.

These are inherently tied together.There is no consequence for taking a few bullets.You get hit, screen goes red, and 4 seconds later you are peachy.You get shot, and your squadmate can revive you back to 100%

It's playing on "Can I Play Daddy?" plus regenerative health.

Health kits are all over, you heal like mad, your shields replenish and you re-spawn instantly.Even on hard difficulties its the same dynamics, you just have to be better or memorize the game better.

It has killed all aspects of teamwork, stealth, or actually taking your time.

FTA: "Players like Elliot [Cannon, Lead Designer] and I, back in the Quake and Unreal days, you know, we had to get good at aiming. These guys don't have to anymore. "

Funny (for me) that he mentions that while lamenting the prevalence of COD. Quake 1 and the original unreal tournament are very much where I cut my teeth in first person shooters, and yet COD has been a guilty pleasure for some time now.

Nezorf:log_jammin: My son plays CoD a lot. I tried to get into the World at War one, but the whole "hide for a minute to regain health" thing was a bit much for me. That and the way it jumped between stories annoyed me.

But anyway, one thing I've noticed, and I don't know if it's him, the way the game plays, or if I just play FPS differently, but he always runs from place to place, turning and shooting without really looking. when I play games like that I always go slow and try to peak around corners, take careful aim, etc.. I just get the feeling that CoD encourages/rewards the way he plays. maybe, I don't know.

These are inherently tied together.There is no consequence for taking a few bullets.You get hit, screen goes red, and 4 seconds later you are peachy.You get shot, and your squadmate can revive you back to 100%

It's playing on "Can I Play Daddy?" plus regenerative health.

Health kits are all over, you heal like mad, your shields replenish and you re-spawn instantly.Even on hard difficulties its the same dynamics, you just have to be better or memorize the game better.

It has killed all aspects of teamwork, stealth, or actually taking your time.

farkingismybusiness:Nezorf: log_jammin: My son plays CoD a lot. I tried to get into the World at War one, but the whole "hide for a minute to regain health" thing was a bit much for me. That and the way it jumped between stories annoyed me.

But anyway, one thing I've noticed, and I don't know if it's him, the way the game plays, or if I just play FPS differently, but he always runs from place to place, turning and shooting without really looking. when I play games like that I always go slow and try to peak around corners, take careful aim, etc.. I just get the feeling that CoD encourages/rewards the way he plays. maybe, I don't know.

These are inherently tied together.There is no consequence for taking a few bullets.You get hit, screen goes red, and 4 seconds later you are peachy.You get shot, and your squadmate can revive you back to 100%

It's playing on "Can I Play Daddy?" plus regenerative health.

Health kits are all over, you heal like mad, your shields replenish and you re-spawn instantly.Even on hard difficulties its the same dynamics, you just have to be better or memorize the game better.

It has killed all aspects of teamwork, stealth, or actually taking your time.

Feh. I find that Mass Effect fulfills all my possible FPS jones; all I really want to do is lay traps and snipe the deepest field possible, anyway, and that only between juicy story chapters. If it were at all possible to completely forget your arsenal and get though every situation with your stock pistol, I would do.

log_jammin:My son plays CoD a lot. I tried to get into the World at War one, but the whole "hide for a minute to regain health" thing was a bit much for me. That and the way it jumped between stories annoyed me.

But anyway, one thing I've noticed, and I don't know if it's him, the way the game plays, or if I just play FPS differently, but he always runs from place to place, turning and shooting without really looking. when I play games like that I always go slow and try to peak around corners, take careful aim, etc.. I just get the feeling that CoD encourages/rewards the way he plays. maybe, I don't know.

That's pretty much why I gave up on CoD (MW3). One time I was doing a group game, sniping targets... and one of my own teammates kept hunting me down and shooting me in the back of the head, because he wanted me to run around in the open like a farking retard.

I'm amazed so many FPS gamers still enjoy deathmatches. That's so early 90's. They don't want to think about objectives, and defending is "camping". They just want to mindlessly bunny-hop around a small map taking potshots at eachother.

J. Frank Parnell:I'm amazed so many FPS gamers still enjoy deathmatches. That's so early 90's. They don't want to think about objectives, and defending is "camping". They just want to mindlessly bunny-hop around a small map taking potshots at eachother.

The word tournament comes from the original, which was a large battle in Europe where all the knights would assemble each year during peacetime and stage a full contact knight battle with two charges followed by a melee. After the first charge, the lines would turn around and charge back. Hence the name Tournament.

Basically all young people want to do in any age is dispense with the strategy and lay about on all sides to show that they are the strongest.

some_beer_drinker:doglover: There needs to be more medieval FPS stuff. Recreate the Fall of Rome or something like that. Crossbows and swords and slings and daggers....

i like this idea. i would play that. awesome gore potential.

You guys should look up the Mount and Blade series. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but few things can match the exhilaration of plunking that guy just right through his face mask with a cross bow and dropping him off a horse.

There was a game about 10-12 years back, called Rune.. was a FPS where you were a viking.. so, mostly melee weapons, some throwing of weapons. I never bought the full version, but the demo had online deathmatch.. was fun for a bit.

J. Frank Parnell:I'm amazed so many FPS gamers still enjoy deathmatches. That's so early 90's. They don't want to think about objectives, and defending is "camping". They just want to mindlessly bunny-hop around a small map taking potshots at eachother.

Any half-decent player will destroy you for "mindless bunny-hopping", just like any competent fighting game player will destroy you for mashing random buttons. How you use your movement capabilities is what is important. And that whole thing where they're "taking potshots at each other"? That's called map control, and I wish more companies would expand upon the concepts laid out in Quake III Arena, because I don't think they've come close to exploring all the concepts for map control in the FPS. (See: Descent II's Smart Mines and other items which can not only be used to actively control parts of the map, but are extremely flexible for offensive capabilities.) So, no, it's not that players "don't want to think about objectives". It's that they want to play game modes where the most satisfying concept in the first-person shooter (shooting and killing people) is the determinant and measure of player progress and skill.

Alphax:There was a game about 10-12 years back, called Rune.. was a FPS where you were a viking.. so, mostly melee weapons, some throwing of weapons. I never bought the full version, but the demo had online deathmatch.. was fun for a bit.

speaking of strategy...I finally decided to build a computer after several years of not having one. So the first thing I buy is Empire Total War. I sunk hundreds of hours into shogun and medieval total war so I couldn't wait to get back into the series, but holy shiat...I'm having a hard time getting back into it. Either I got dumber(very possible) or they really upped the complication.

Haha just kidding. The PR guys themselves can't hide how awful they're making it.There are key words to pay attention to in the video, like "modern audience", "console market", "mainstream".

"We took a game many people enjoy, and we changed everything good about it so that no one will enjoy it."

Why? Why did you show me that? The Thief series was my all-time favorite series in my long history of gaming (followed closely by Starsiege and the Tribes games up to Tribes 2). They already got dangerously close to killing it with "Deadly Shadows" (why are there so many load screens, that prompt me to push a green A button to continue, when I'M ON A PC!?). But now this? Damn it so much...

Reading through TFA I'm a bit confused as to what the point is. It seems to me that it's a foregone conclusion that if you assemble a group of people who exclusively play Call of Duty and have them try a game in the same genre but with different mechanics, they'll dislike what is different from CoD. It would make more sense to test it with a more varied audience.

Gordon Bennett:Reading through TFA I'm a bit confused as to what the point is. It seems to me that it's a foregone conclusion that if you assemble a group of people who exclusively play Call of Duty and have them try a game in the same genre but with different mechanics, they'll dislike what is different from CoD. It would make more sense to test it with a more varied audience.

His point was to make a game that CoD players would like as well. i think he was amazed to learn that a lot of CoD players only want games that play exactly like CoD.

Shadowknight:some_beer_drinker: doglover: There needs to be more medieval FPS stuff. Recreate the Fall of Rome or something like that. Crossbows and swords and slings and daggers....

i like this idea. i would play that. awesome gore potential.

You guys should look up the Mount and Blade series. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but few things can match the exhilaration of plunking that guy just right through his face mask with a cross bow and dropping him off a horse.

FTFA:"Watch the video below to learn about the reinvention of Garrett and why the team hopes players see him as more than just some "goth."

GARRETT WAS NOT AND IS NOT "JUST SOME GOTH," YOU PINHEADS! Just because he hung out in the dark while wearing dark clothes doesn't make him Goth. IT MAKES HIM FARKING STEALTHY.

/gets way too worked up over this//the series has pulled off more atmosphere than any game I can think of///still waiting on a sandbox-style Thief game, where the buildings are all burglar-ready, if you're good enough. I wouldn't even yell blasphemy to see it on a console

I just watched the video in our clip. They want to make him "not another goth," but they put him in skin-tight leather, give him styled black hair under a hood, a sickly complexion, and eyeliner. So they made him "not just another goth," but instead into the Uber-goth. Goth-Prime, if you will.

I just watched the video in our clip. They want to make him "not another goth," but they put him in skin-tight leather, give him styled black hair under a hood, a sickly complexion, and eyeliner. So they made him "not just another goth," but instead into the Uber-goth. Goth-Prime, if you will.

I think they're created a Golgotha for sure.

Mr Cantin has Assassin's creed cred yes, but its Assassin's Creed 1 and he's the guy behind its 'story' or complete lack there of. Not AC2 or even AC3, just AC1. I am prepared to weep as yet another classic series that I wished were remade comes out still-born, poisoned by hair gel and axe body spray.

As far as medieval fpslashing goes, mount & blade is super fun, but someone mentioned chivalry, which is... Alright. Others on the market are "pirates, knights, & vikings" and "war of roses" which are both a lot of fun in their own rights. There's a market of companies who also thought that sword & bow fighting would translate well to the fps scene. I don't think it has gotten great yet, but I'll admit to playing mount & blade more hours than is healthy.

I would get annoyed with the "momentum" feature, too. Not so much because it's "clunky" or "I'm used to CoD" but because when people have to run, they don't build momentum, they lose it. People don't function like cars or trains. It's an arbitrary gimmick.

Gordon Bennett:Reading through TFA I'm a bit confused as to what the point is. It seems to me that it's a foregone conclusion that if you assemble a group of people who exclusively play Call of Duty and have them try a game in the same genre but with different mechanics, they'll dislike what is different from CoD. It would make more sense to test it with a more varied audience.

I suspect it's because he actually is trying to "name names" and make a point, and that his game is probably mediocre.

I like how the comment thread for an article discussing how nobody will play a game which does not look, move, and function like Call of Duty has been completely derailed by discussion of stealth and medieval FPS games.